Day 6: Beers in Boston

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Good morning Boston! We decided it would be much easier to take the T to get to our first tour at Sam Adams. Well, that meant an earlier morning than most because of the walk to the station then switching trains. Go to my friends blog to see some pictures of the T.

Samuel Adams, Boston Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts http://www.samueladams.com/

This was one of the tours I was excited to take. And what better time to start than first thing at 10 A.M. We waited for the tour in a room with pictures and factoids about the brewery and brewer, Jim Koch. While the tour is free, they did ask for at least $2 which goes towards a Boston area charity. Surprisingly, the place was pretty small. It turns out that most of their production is done in Allentown PA and Cincinnati, OH. This was a professional tour, with trained guides, a departure from most of our tours. We only got to sample 3 beers here. The rest we tried when we went to Bell In Hand Tavern. But I forgot to write down tasting notes for most of these.

1. Boston Lager

The best Boston Lager I have ever had.

2. Oktoberfest, Lager

3. Oatmeal Stout

4. White Christmas, White Ale

The white ale from summer with winter spices.

5. Brick Red, Red Ale

6. Tasman Red, Red I.P.A.

Had an almost minty finish

7. Double Bock

8. New World Tripel

9. Oak Aged Porter

10. Cranberry Lambic Style

11. Norse Legend, Sahti

Bell In Hand Tavern, Boston, Massachusetts http://www.bellinhand.com/

This is the oldest tavern in Boston. Wonderfully, Samuel Adams came to the bar the night before and had a tap take over. So we got to finish our Sam Adams tasting. The beers 4-11, in the list above, were from Bell In Hand.

The Green Dragon, Boston, Massachusetts http://www.somerspubs.com/GREENDRAGONBOSTON/index.html

This place is also one of the oldest taverns in Boston. It opened before Bell In Hand but has not been continuously operating. I found a good quote in there. “And in the end, it’s not the years in the life , it’s the life in the years” – Abraham Lincoln

Harpoon Brewery, Massachusetts Bay Brewing Company, Boston, Massachusetts http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/

Unfortunately, we came on a day when tours were not available. Still there was a nice tasting room and gift shop available, with large windows overlooking the brewery. The two guys giving us the low-down on what was on tap were very good and could answer most questions about the brewery and their process. The U.F.O. series (unfiltered offering) had some surprises.

1. Oktoberfest, Ale

Ale instead of lager. Amber. Medium body. Sweet and malty. Represents style well.

2. White I.P.A.

Gold color. Medium body. Hoppy aroma. Citrusy finish.

3. White U.F.O

Hazy gold color. Lighter body. Orange and spice aromas and flavors.

4. Harpoon Dark

Almost black color. Medium body. Nice malt and hop balance.

5. Honey Ginger, I.P.A

Gold color. Light body. Sweet but not overly. Subtle ginger tones.

6. Leviathan Baltic Porter

Black color. Full body. Stong and malty. Some coffee tones

7. Harpoon Ale

Amber color. Light body. Nice balance.

Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/index.jsp

Since we were unable to schedule any more brewery tours for the day, we were able to get a tour of historic Fenway Park. It was a great time. We got to see some places that would usually need a lot of money to get into. Check out the pictures.

Lower Depths, Boston Massachusetts http://thelowerdepths.com/

For dinner we went to Lower Depths. This cash only beer bar has an epic selection. It was recommended to us by the brewer from Thomas Hooker. It is not a large place but has a great vibe you have to go if you are in Boston.

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